A major Cinco de Mayo event in San Antonio will not go on. Here’s what we know.
A celebration set to take over Market Square downtown was on the books for Tuesday, May 5, kicking off from 5 to 9 p.m., according to a Facebook post from the City of San Antonio Municipal Government. The post had originally billed the event as “an evening full of color, culture, and celebration,” including mariachi, Folklórico dancing, street food, artists, vendors and more. However, an update line at the top of the post and a comment from the city under it read, “This event has been canceled.” The update was made around 7 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, only about 48 hours before the event was set to kick off.
The post didn’t give a reason behind the cancellation, which led some commenters to suspect it could be the weather. Many events were canceled on Friday, May 1, due to severe storms that swept the area, but the forecast for San Antonio this week looks “seasonably warm and dry” until late Tuesday, according to the National Weather Service. The forecast predicts that rain chances will “gradually increase” from that point onward, peaking on Thursday behind a cold front.
MySA reached out to the City of San Antonio for more information, but did not hear back at the time of publication.
This holiday marks the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It was a major victory, as the French forces were much more numerous and better equipped, making the holiday a celebration of freedom from outside influence. Unlike a common misconception, it is not Mexican Independence Day, which is celebrated on September 16 and commemorates the beginning of the battle for independence from Spain decades prior.